Barbourville pharmacy treating some ailments

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A southeastern Kentucky pharmacy is among the first in the state to begin treating people for ailments like strep throat and the flu.

WKYT-TV reports a 2016 state law allows the West Knox Pharmacy in Barbourville to offer the service. The law allows pharmacies that meet stringent requirements to work with a prescribing physician to test for and treat certain illnesses.

Doctor of Pharmacy Jennifer Baker of the West Knox Pharmacy says workers there took the training and are among the first in the state to offer the services. Baker says patients who come in get fully assessed and tested before any medication is prescribed. No appointment is needed.

State officials say they hope to see more pharmacies offer such services to help reduce urgent care and emergency room visits.

Panel suspends medical license of convicted doctor

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — A panel has suspended the medical license of a doctor convicted of implanting medically unnecessary pacemakers into dozens of patients and billing it to Medicare and Medicaid.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure released an order Monday that bars Anis Chalhoub from practicing medicine. Chalhoub can challenge the panel’s order.

Chalhoub was sentenced to 42 months in prison last month after being convicted of federal health care fraud in April.

The Department of Justice said Chalhoub implanted dozens of unnecessary pacemakers in patients at St. Joseph London hospital between 2007 and 2011.

Chalhoub has denied wrongdoing and maintained that the pacemakers he implanted were necessary. He has filed a notice that he will appeal his conviction.

2 charged with trying to kill police officers

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky police have arrested a carload of people after the vehicle pinned two officers to a concrete column. The driver and a passenger are charged with attempted murder.

News outlets report that London police investigating a series of thefts on Monday tried to speak to the four people in the car, but they were acting nervous.

Police say backseat passenger 26-year-old Louis Green, of Florida, grabbed the gearshift and the driver accelerated, pinning the two officers. Driver 24-year-old Jonathan Murphy, of Connecticut, then sped off, but the vehicle crashed and they tried to flee on foot.

Murphy and Green now face attempted murder charges, and 28-year-old Richard C. Baker, of Florida, and 27-year-old Tabitha Borborema, of New Jersey, are charged with evading police. It’s unclear if they have lawyers.

Investigator: Mo. doctor impregnated Ky. teen

ST. LOUIS (AP) — An investigator says a 46-year-old Missouri doctor impregnated a 16-year-old Kentucky girl and planned to marry her.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that U.S. attorney’s office investigator Donya Jackson said during a detention hearing that suspended St. Louis University Hospital Dr. Ashu Joshi met the teen while treating her mother. The teen originally wanted to talk to Joshi about becoming a doctor. She then became his baby sitter before the two began having sex.

Jackson says the teen’s mother knew they were “dating” but didn’t want them having sex.

A transcript of the hearing was made public Nov. 15, when Joshi was released from jail on bail. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges of producing and receiving of child pornography and transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

High school football coach accused of 1980s child sex crimes

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former Kentucky high school football coach has been accused of committing sex crimes against a child while he was leading the team in the early 1980s.

News outlets cite police and court records in Monday reports as saying 69-year-old Thomas Duffy was indicted on four sodomy charges last week by a grand jury in Boyle County.

Danville police Assistant Chief Glenn Doan says the crimes allegedly happened in 1982 and 1983 and involved a child younger than 16. Police did not say if the victim was a Danville High student.

Duffy was Danville High School’s football coach from 1980 to 1987 and won two state championships.

Duffy was arrested and released on bond; it’s unclear if he has a lawyer. Kentucky imposes no time limit on prosecuting felonies.

Medical doctor among new committee leaders in state Senate

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A medical doctor from central Kentucky is the new chairman of state Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

Republican state Sen. Ralph Alvarado is among several new committee chairmen the majority GOP Caucus announced Monday. Alvarado will replace Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams, who was recently elected majority caucus chairwoman.

Alvarado is the first Hispanic member to lead a committee. He pushed for a law allowing a panel of doctors to review medical malpractice cases. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled the law was unconstitutional.

Other new committee chairmen include Sen. Brandon Smith for the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, Sen. Jared Carpenter for the Banking and Insurance Committee, Sen. Wil Schroder for the State and Local Government Committee and Sen. Danny Carroll for the Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee

Louisville’s comic book convention attracts stars

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville’s annual comic book and pop culture convention will host a variety of stars this year including Richard Dreyfuss, Star Trek icon William Shatner and Henry Winkler of “Happy Days” fame.

The three-day Louisville Supercon is a gathering of comic book and science fiction fans along with actors, artists and creators.

The event will open Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Kentucky International Convention Center with the man who played the original Flash, John Wesley Shipp.

There will be Q and As with celebrities, panels and a contest for people who dress up as their favorite pop culture characters. The winner of that contest gets $1,000.

The event goes from Friday through Sunday. Tickets can be purchased on www.louisvillesupercon.com.

Lawsuit: Eatery owners didn’t pay workers $130K in overtime

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The federal Department of Labor is suing the owners of two Kentucky brunch restaurants it says failed to pay workers more than $130,000 in overtime.

The Courier Journal reported Wednesday that the department says the Louisville North End Cafe restaurants owe 18 employees about $131,000 in unpaid overtime for work dating back to 2016. The department says the restaurant owners also owe the workers about the same amount in damages.

North End attorney John Walters says the lawsuit centers on whether the two restaurants should be treated as a single employer as they are separate companies. He says the owners believe they should be treated separately for overtime purposes.

The newspaper says the Department of Labor declined to comment further on the lawsuit filed this month.

Desk belonging to Helen Keller on display in Ky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A writing desk belonging to Helen Keller is on display in Kentucky at the American Printing House for the Blind Museum.

News outlets report the desk is on loan to the Louisville museum from the American Foundation for the Blind. Keller worked at the foundation for 44 years. Keller, who was deaf and blind, was an author, lecturer and political activist.

Museum director Mike Hudson said the museum wants visitors to consider the work Keller did at the desk and how creativity comes about.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday. The desk is expected to be on display through next summer.